After 30 days of cold showers, most individuals report feeling more alert, having more energy, having healthier skin and hair, improved mental health and resilience, improved circulation, and more.
Cold showers can help reduce inflammation, relieve pain, improve circulation, lower stress levels, and reduce muscle soreness and fatigue. Hot showers, meanwhile, can improve cardiovascular health, soothe stiff joints, and improve sleep. Understanding when to take a hot or cold shower is essential.
Your body's reaction to cold water puts added stress on your heart and could lead to an irregular heartbeat, or arrhythmia. “It's going to tax your heart in a way that could be dangerous,” says Carter.
What Is The Challenge? Take a cold shower each morning for a minimum of 30-seconds for 7-days. Ideally, the water will be around 60°F (15°C) or less.
After 30 days of cold showers, most individuals report feeling more alert, having more energy, having healthier skin and hair, improved mental health and resilience, improved circulation, and more.
Additionally, cold water can help tighten the skin and reduce the appearance of pores, making skin look smoother and more even. It can also help reduce inflammation and puffiness, which can be especially beneficial if you suffer with sensitive or acne-prone skin.
The shock of cold water can stimulate the blood cells that fight off infection (leukocytes). One study in the Netherlands found that people who switched to cold showers for 30, 60, or 90 seconds for 90 days called out sick from work 29% less than people who didn't switch to cold showers.
It turns out that ultimately, no, a cold shower isn't bad for you. If anything, cold showers have proven to have many benefits, from increasing your mood, aiding weight loss, and increasing immunity.
The main disadvantage of cold showers is that many people consider them uncomfortable. Cold showers can also be dangerous for those with certain heart or lung conditions. Hot and cold showers have different benefits, so one is not better than the other.
According to a study by researchers at Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, taking cold showers for two to three minutes, once or twice a day (preceded by a five-minute 'adjustment period' of slowly cooling water) could help to relieve symptoms of depression.
Lukewarm water is advisable to wash your face with, but cold water has its benefits, too. Cold water tightens the appearance of your skin, so it may make you look renewed and refreshed. It also helps boost your circulation, which can help give your skin a healthier appearance, albeit temporarily.
Cold showers and exposure to cold temperatures have been shown to increase testosterone levels, which can indirectly impact sperm count. Higher levels of testosterone can stimulate sperm production and increase the motility of sperm, which can improve overall sperm count.
Beneficial for your hair
Finishing a shower with a cold blast can help lock moisture in your hair, while also tightening your hair follicles, meaning reduced hair loss. Additionally, cold water helps to close hair cuticles, which enables the hair to reflect light resulting in a high shine.
May Boost Your Mood
Past research reveals that submerging your body in cold water increases dopamine concentrations by 250 percent. Dopamine is known as the “feel-good” hormone because of the key role it plays in regulating mood, per the Cleveland Clinic.
Lowered Body Temperature
When you take a cold shower or spend a few minutes in your cold plunge, your body's temperature will dramatically decrease. As a result, your body will release chemicals—such as melatonin—which researchers believe induces sleep.
Using cold showers (cold water immersion, or CWI, in research), long-term, will attenuate the anabolic signaling that occurs in muscles2 through the reduction of inflammation. I.e., you will decrease your ability to build a maximum amount of muscle, which directly contradicts the goal of building muscle.
Cold showers might not improve sleep because of cold water's stimulating properties. Cold water immersion raises levels of cortisol and norepinephrine. View Source . Cortisol is involved in boosting alertness levels, and consequently, cortisol levels.
One study showed significant and prolonged increases in dopamine when people were in cool (60°F) water for about an hour up to their neck, with their head above water. Other studies describe significant increases in epinephrine from just 20 seconds in very cold water (~40°F).
Ryan was diagnosed with ADHD, anxiety, and depression in August of 2021, and tried all sorts of things to help him gain mental clarity. When working out, meditation, and medication failed, ice baths helped him. The exposure to cold helps Ryan calm down and reduce his brain fog, helping him focus throughout the day.
Cold exposure helps boost metabolism and fat burning, but the effects of a cold shower are minimal. Sure, a cold shower might help you burn a few more extra calories and keep you more alert, but it is not a long term, effective solution for weight loss.
Cold showers can potentially help with acne, but certainly not in the extreme, cure-all way as is often portrayed online. Cool temperatures constrict blood vessels, which can reduce swelling, inflammation, and overall redness, explains board-certified dermatologist Marisa Garshick, MD.
Research shows that cold showers can increase blood circulation, trigger neurological responses, and make people feel healthier. And the jolt will definitely wake you up in the morning! Cold showers might boost the metabolism. So, if you're healthy and curious, give cold showers a try!
In a clinical trial, researchers found that taking a cold shower for up to five minutes once or twice daily can help relieve symptoms of depression. Cold showers can also help clear your mind and combat overwhelm by decreasing your heart rate.